Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Hello again viewers! Before anything else, all of us here at Different
Shades of Pink would like to apologize for the recent hiatus. However, now
we’re back and better than ever before! And what better way to start of a
lovely July than with our third (YES THIRD!) Call for Entries.

In conjunction with the recently passed gay marriage ruling in the
United States, our theme for this month will be “Being Proud of Who You”.
We are calling out to anyone, regardless of age, gender identity, beliefs or
sexual orientation to share their stories of self discovery and acceptance
of who you are, the struggles you’ve faced in order to come to such a decision
and the efforts you’ve made to become proud who you are today. (Not to mention
what your hopes are for the future that’s to come)

Here
are the requirements for your article:

1)
Articles can be written in English, Malay or Chinese.

2)
Articles should be approximately 1,000 words long.

3)
Articles should adhere to the theme of “Being Proud of Who You Are”.

4)
Writers have the option to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym.

5)
Writers may include pictures, so long as they credit the source.

6)
Articles should not contain offensive elements such as racism, sexism or pornography.

7) Please email your submission to ptfmalaysia.media@gmail.com by the 31st of
July 2015.

If
you have any enquiries, please feel free to email your questions to
ptfmalaysia.media@gmail.com as well.

Monday, 6 April 2015

Volunteering has always been central to me. Any opportunity to perform an act of kindness, be it large or small, never fails to excite me. I’ve always been interested in activities that offer the valuable opportunity to help others, and what better way than to do so than by volunteering as an English tutor for PT Foundation’s “Back to School” program. The program, aimed at developing and improving the English competency for children who are affected or infected with HIV provided me with the chance to contribute to the betterment of those in need within our community. More importantly, the program serves as a beneficial activity apart from my normal job as a seriously boring and emotionless corporate drone working from 9 to Godknowswhen on a daily-basis. I’ve always felt the intrinsic need to help out in any way possible for those who need assistance. Besides, I relish the chance to get up on an early Sunday morning for something that serves a greater purpose for our community. Yes, what better way to spend our early Sunday mornings!

I remember the first time arriving for the program’s orientation, after getting lost walking around confusingly around Chow Kit and finally finding this wonderful little place called PT Foundation on the corner of Jalan Ipoh Kecil. I remember being greeted for the first time by Surpreet and Zynie, two of the key people in PT Foundation responsible for the advent of the Program. I also remember getting to know some of the new tutors during the orientation, several of them the nicest people, who would later become some of the closest people in PT Foundation to me who would make the tutoring experience that much more pleasant and fulfilling.

At the volunteer orientation back in January 2015.

I also remember my first time tutoring English to the students. To be fair, I have limited tutoring experience in English! I was uncertain going into the program as I had no idea what it would be like working with students and making them to fully understand the basics of English. Nonetheless, there’s nothing to deter a person with a genuine intention when it comes to helping others. I propelled myself to be a not-so-bad English teacher for those students. I remember the first time tutoring Arif (not his real name). He was a student who exceeded my expectations with his impressive command of English and the genuine willingness to learn English. Personally, its these sort of students and their positive attitude that makes waking up on an early Sunday morning worthwhile.

Working on reading exercises.

It is hard to imagine that it has been 2 months since I first started my English tutoring at the program in PT Foundation. Although I have the privilege to tutor different students every week, the sensation and the sense of fulfilment that I first experienced during the initial stages of my tutoring has never ceased nor diminished. I anticipate each week with a new sense of excitement and another opportunity to assist the students in discovering and learning new words, phrases, vocabulary, sentences etc. I have to admit it does leave a satisfactory “feel good” sensation as I thoroughly enjoy seeing that even with my limited knowledge and skills, I was able to make a difference in the improvement of the students’ English competency. It does bring a sense of joy knowing that they were able to grasp the basic concepts of the vocabulary after tirelessly teaching them for hours (and even weeks!). But the best reward are always the grateful smiles of the student. In a way, seeing them happy really does make me happy as well. Ah, those adorable, sweet smiles from those students.

There are many other stories that I could tell you that can convince you of the limitless value of volunteering. But to be honest, I thoroughly enjoy being part of a program which works towards improving things for the betterment of others. Volunteering in PT Foundation has provided me with the opportunities to grow, improve myself and make a difference in someone else’s life as well as my own. I believe it is essential to continue with such initiative and experience and I believe that in return, these activities make me a better person. Ironically, it is tutoring for the students in the program for PT Foundation that taught me lessons that are equally important to those students as it is for me in shaping myself to be a better person. I would attribute volunteerism to leading me to be a better person and I am grateful to PT Foundation for providing me with the valuable chance to serve those around me in need. What I have learned over and over is that giving my time and self returns back tenfold of what I give.

New words and new experiences.

I genuinely believe that in order to be a better person, it is crucial for us to push for more enriching experiences in our lives. I believe that volunteering can be the best teacher for us because as tutors, we are able to be the best teachers for our students in the program. My time as an English tutor had allowed me to get a glimpse of the reality of those from the less-advantage family background and the challenges they face; mainly from the education and financial aspects. My time as a tutor has also made me understand the difficulties faced by many to learn and effectively master the command of English regardless of how many claim the language to be relatively easy to learn (including me previously!). Such experience has given me a completely new perspective on the realities of life and the education system in this country. On a larger scale, I realize that we are all the same and nothing more than a reflection of the human condition in its totality, regardless of our contrasting socioeconomic backgrounds. In essence, I realized something I already knew subconsciously: every individual is equally deserving of help in his or her time of need.

To get to know more about the Berjaya Back To School Program, please email zynie@ptfmalaysia.org or call 03-4044-4611.

Friday, 13 March 2015

Different Shades of Pink is proud to announce the second Call for Entries!

In conjunction with the recently passed International Women’s Day, our theme for Different Shades of Pink will be “A Woman’s Relationship with HIV/AIDs”. We are calling out to all women (transgender women as well) who have encountered HIV/AIDS in their lives. If you’re a woman who is living with HIV/AIDS, or in a relationship with someone who is, or you have a relative who is living with HIV/AIDS, this is your chance to tell us your stories of perseverance, love and empowerment!

Here are the requirements for your article:

1)Articles can be written in English, Malay or Chinese.

2)Articles should be approximately 1,000 words long.

3)Articles should adhere to the theme of “A Woman’s Relationship with HIV/AIDS”.

4)Writers have the option to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym.

5)Writers may include pictures, so long as they credit the source.

6)Articles should not contain offensive elements such as racism, sexism or pornography.

7)Please email your submission to ptfmalaysia.media@gmail.com by the 31st of March 2015.

If you have any enquiries, please feel free to email your questions to ptfmalaysia.media@gmail.com as well.

Friday, 13 February 2015

Have you ever wondered what it’s like is to wake up in the morning feel like you are 10 or 20 years older, with pristine numbness in your heart, and you feel unlike a human being? Well, in some niche you will find where your life is heading to but it’s always too late for a realization or sometimes it occurs too early with numerous hindrances. Hard facts, yeah?

It’s certainly hard for me, living in a society with cultural norms, being a subjective subjugation and prejudice is the only thing you face first thing in the morning and also before you sleep, it’s a sheer wreck of emotion on a daily basis, except that you don’t have to pay for it, it comes with free scorn!

Love for a man from a man is considered wrong in this society where the internalization of homophobia happens even within the gay community itself. Even though transsexuality is something common in Malaysia and people are slowly breaking free from the usual stigma, homosexuality seems to create new chaos, at least in Malaysia. People are more comfortable with pedophiles than the term homosexuality.

Jay and I were together for 3 years and it all started 6 years ago. I was 16 and smart enough to access internet and got my first computer. Growing up as an Indian in an orthodoxed family, you have to put aside your interests and behave like a “Man”, they say. I was 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to learn ballet but instead they sent me to Tae Kwando class. Dance is for girls, the first stereotype I faced.

I got to know Jay through PR (Planet Romeo, a gay dating site) 3 years ago. We first started chatting casually and going on outings. He was a good guy and possessed all the characteristics that I ever wanted in a man. He was an engineer in one of the private firms. We were happy for the first 12 months. We shared a lot of things, except his secret. I was in love with him, and I confessed my interest towards him. He asked me to wait, and that’s how our awkward dinner ended.

We were indulged in love for the last 2 and half years. He introduced me to his parents as his best friend and I did the same. Isn’t it funny and sad when you know someone is your better half but because of your orientation you couldn’t tell your parents that he is the one you want marry. Wait, marriage? Informing parents? It’s an alien term for Christ sake.

He was living with his parents and I was still studying at the time. He would come and stay with me at my hostel. We had many intimate moments together. Saturdays and Sundays were always the best days of my life. It wasn’t just about sex but the acceptance and the feeling of having someone important in your life taking care of you. The way he caresses my hair and he kisses my forehead, I wish the time would just freeze. How do you feel when your partner leaves you every Sunday and you have to wait for the week to be over just to get together with him, and just because of society’s perception and stigma you can only hold hands within the lock of four walls but in public you are just his “friend” and nothing more? I’m really jealous of straight couples; at least they have freedom, freedom to love.

Yeah, we couldn’t possibly get married legally; we can only be closeted gay couples. But, it was as usual, until 2 months ago. I was sick. I went to see my therapist and he got my screening done. Normal prescription was given and I felt weak and in worse conditions even after 2 weeks of medication. The doctor asked me to wait for my test report and then he told me I have been diagnosed with HIV. I’m going to die soon.

I called Jay and…I kept quiet. I couldn’t talk. I wiped my eyes without realizing that my face was drenched with tears. I ended the call without saying anything but I heard him say “Hey, Ram, say something, why you are quiet?” My life was too quiet for words. 2 days after knowing my status, I received a call from Jay’s parents. I was in my room with closed curtains so there’s no way for light to penetrate in, as if the sun light will kill me instantaneously. “Hello, Ram? Jay got in an accident on his way back from work. Could you come?” was the single line from a trembled voice.

Before the crash, Jay received a text message from me. “Jay, I’m HIV POZ”. The last word I heard from him was sorry as he begged for my forgiveness. It’s a miracle to get Mr.Perfect in a gay relationship despite all the stigma, and it’s hard to get a loyal one. Jay left me with the stain of his memory that kills every part of my cells with every tick of a minute.

Hope and faith is the two poles that I cling to while counting my days and waiting to see him again, at least in different dimension. If only people had given us the chance to live the life we wanted, Jay wouldn’t have died and I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life alone with sickness. We are not sex symbols, we are not selling ourselves for pleasure and we are not topics of entertainment. We are human; just like you, if only you had given us the opportunity, but instead I live a stranded life, in the middle of the metropolitan, with his love and memory!

Wednesday, 4 February 2015

We received an appreciation note from one of our clients who came to the Community Health Care Center at PT Foundation for testing last semester. Thank you for your kind words, which I am posting part of it here:

The Community Health Care Center of PT Foundation.

I met
with the most caring and sensitive personnel who promptly saw me and
performed the tests in a very safe and private environment. I was very
moved by the very reassuring and caring counsellor who took time to
speak to me and explained in great detail about my condition and what
options there were for me. A letter of reference was issued
unconditionally for me to receive treatment at the SBH. I am very
grateful to XXX who offered to drive me there for my first
consultation and stayed with me right through. I felt understood, cared
for and loved regardless of my condition. I have been on medication for
three months now and I am now mentally stronger and I am focused on
getting even better by living a healthy lifestyle. Thank you PTF!

On the 30th of January 2015, PT Foundation bid so long (but not goodbye) to one of the members of the PT family, Sivalila, affectionately known as Leela. This is a short perspective on her time here at PT Foundation.

Sivalila Balakrishnan

I joined PT Foundation in January 2012. It was my luck that I was chosen and was appointed to work at PT Foundation. This was my first time working in an NGO, as I was working in a corporate line before joining PT Foundation.

On my first day at work, I was given a short briefing by Raymond (who was the Acting Executive Director at the time) for PT Foundation. Raymond introduced himself, and I said, "Nice to meet you sir." and the first thing he told me was, "Please don't call me Sir or boss, just call me Raymond." I was so inspired and shocked, because throughout my working life in corporate, I was so used to addressing my bosses as Sir or boss or MR.XXX.

The PT Family

I always look down on myself because of my appearance, and at the same time, how people look down at me, thinking that I can't excel due to my personality. I never used to smile at people because I keep thinking that they are looking at me with scrutiny, there was always a feeling that people just don't like the way I am. But after joining PT, I finally feel like I am being myself, being SIVALILA BALAKRISHNAN.

Celebrating my birthday at PT Foundation

I joined the volunteer team with Jeremy and that was first time I ever challenged myself to face people and talk to people. I got positive feedback. Ever since then, I began to smile and easily mingle with people that easily. My friends and family were shocked to see my changes and they were so happy to see me happy and smiling always.

The IHP team

I would like to thank PT Foundation for accepting me and giving me the chance to work closer with the community. Its not the end of my journey here, I will still volunteer and will always extend great support to PT Foundation.

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Yesterday evening, we had an orientation for the Back to School program. Although we expected about 8 volunteers, we were delightfully surprised to see 14 volunteers attend our session! In combination with our previous orientations, we now have nearly 30 volunteers who serve as tutors and role models for our children and caregivers. We would like to thank “Do Something Good” and SOLS 24/7 for helping to bring these tutors.

Volunteers introducing themselves

Just to provide some background information, the Back to School Program supports children and their caregivers who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Most children have lost a parent to AIDs or come from broken families. With caregivers dealing with poverty (especially single mothers), HIV stigma, loneliness, shame, and anger, children live in stressful environments which hinders their emotional and psychological development. Simply put, they are neglected even by well-intentioned parents and other loved ones. Our Back to School Program applies a multidimensional approach, aiming to addressing all these issues. The educational component is extremely important since children affected or infected by HIV on average have poorer academic performance in comparison to their peers.

This is where the need for tutors come in. We provide tutoring almost every Sunday and educational activities during our monthly Saturday events. Since the introduction of the tuition program, we have grown to about 30 students at the weekly Sunday tuitions, with 10 tutors, which is fantastic! However, our goal is to get 1 tutor for each child so that these children can receive the individualized attention that is desperately needed. For this reason, we had another orientation yesterday for new batch of volunteers. It covered the following topics:

•PT Foundation and Its History

•HIV 101 and Myths

•Clients of Back to School Program and Difficulties they face

•Volunteer Expectations

•Educational materials that may help volunteers during their tutoring sessions

Explaining what we aim to achieve

Even though all of these topics were important, my favorite part of the orientation was getting to know the clients during the introduction and energizer. Each individual in the group had unique experiences to offer and differing backgrounds, including journalists, lawyers, branch managers, students, etc. For the energizer, we created a circle with one person standing in the middle. He or she would have to make a statement about themselves, and if the statement was true for others, they would also have to move into a different spot of the circle. The person in the middle would also attempt to find a spot in the circle. The last person without a spot had to stand in the center. Similar to the previous round, he/she would be required to make a statement about themselves and everyone would move. As a result of this fun energizer, we bonded and discovered interesting facts about each other. For example, some of our volunteers have done bungy-jumping, and only one person in our group has a cat.

The icebreaker!

Despite the differences in age, professions, interests, and ethnicities, we all had one thing in common: we valued taking time from our busy lives to give back to community. We also discussed expectations of volunteers and of PT Foundation to ensure that we all worked cohesively as a team. Being in the presence of these passionate people was extremely inspiring. I am excited to see how their loving spirits will influence the lives of our caregivers and children!

Monday, 26 January 2015

Last week I had the pleasure of starting at PT Foundation as their new COO. I am delighted and excited to be here and support the work this amazing organisation has achieved over the last 20 years and more.

They organised an afternoon tea for me to meet the staff so we could share our stories and get to know each other. How lucky we are to have such great, well informed, empathetic and articulate staff.

Getting to Know The Staff

I am married to a Malaysian and we have 2 daughters. Malaysia has been my home for many years and I have worked in the UK, Australia and Malaysia both as a dietitian and in the NGO sector. My recent position was in Australia as CEO of Huntington's WA, an organisation for those with the rare disorder known as Huntington's Disease. I am also just completing my Masters in Human Rights.

Dee, PT Foundation's new COO.

I look forward to getting to know the community and enhancing the work of PT Foundation.